Coming Back
by Zoja
Summary: Post Perestroika. Connor Doyle gets a second chance, as the explosion moves him to the small village in Siberia.


It's one of my visions how Connor Doyle could survive in Russia. I'm sorry for my horrible English. And sorry for the last scene, which was really hard for me to write, and it just happened to be too sweet for me.

I hope you'll like the story.

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><p>When he had made the final decision he started wondering what will actually happen to him. Will his whole life appear in front of his face, so he could see moments, when the choice he has made was not this good one? Will he see the bright, peaceful light and a gate to heaven in it? Or somebody very close to him, but already dead will come for him to take him to the other world?<p>

When the while had finally come, he didn't feel scared. Actually, he was happy. He was happy that it was going to be him, not anybody of his friends, who will die here, so the parasite will be killed and it won't ever appear again and kill other people. Finally, the light of explosion had blinded him and he had been waiting for the moment, when he will see or hear something, or lose his consciousness forever. But none of it had happened. He didn't see, hear or feel anything – he didn't have any of his five senses. Only the world of his thoughts existed for him and he had been imprisoned in it.

He didn't have any idea, how long he had been in this state. It could have lasted a day, a year, or just a few minutes. But his contact with the real world had started to come back to him. At first he had thought that it was just his imagination, but when it happened again, he was sure.

"Mama, kak dolgo on budet tak lezhat'? Ty uwerena, shto on ne pogib?" it was high, childish voice, which had to belong to a little girl. [Mom, how long is he going to lie here like that? Are you sure that he's not dead?]

"Milena! Nie gowori tak! On ne pogib i tebe nado molit'sa shtoby on vosstanovil!" said the second voice, much lower, which belong to the girl's mother. [Milena! Don't talk like this! He's not dead and you have to pray for him to recover!]

He was wondering if there is a way he can make them know that he hears them, but he didn't find any. He couldn't say anything, and he couldn't move. But he started to notice more things. After a day or two, he was sure that in the house beside him, there were only they two – a girl named Milena, and her mother. He also started to distinguish different times of day – at the beginning he realized that the night started, because he didn't hear anybody talk or move, or do anything else. Later he also distinguished most of activities which were done around, and they repeated every day. Thanks to that he knew, that he had had hearing for six days, when his sight returned to him. Then he also noticed that he actually can move.

He was happy about that. Although everything was hurting him, he could move every one of his limbs. So he wasn't paralyzed. When he had opened his eyes, he saw that he was lying on the small, primitive bed, and he was covered with very thick blanket. Outside the window he didn't notice anything – there seemed to be nothing around, besides the house he was in. He turned his head to the room. It was small and simply furnished. Apart from the bed there were only a small table and a chair. In the door to the room he noticed Milena – she was very small girl, with long, curly blonde hair and big, blue eyes. She was looking at him with confusion and fear.

"Hello" he said, and the girl only turned around and run to another room, shouting to her mom.

After a while a very similar woman to her came, and she gave him the water, and after that she watched his injuries.

"You have to lay, so you can recover completely. We had to take this something out of you very quickly and I was scared, that the wound may not heal well, but I see it's not bad." she said in Russian to him, and smiled "My name's Galina, and you've already met my daughter, Milena. She was the one who found you."

"I'm Connor." he said.

During their talks with him he was able to get to know that he was in the small village, which most of the people didn't know that existed, and wasn't even around the place he was staying at with O.S.I.R. However most of its population, with Galina's husband, died because of the parasite, which appeared with him. It was able to do it within a month, when he was completely unconscious. They, and also their houses were burned for safety, and only they stayed alive, and a man named Andrei, who lost his whole family. When he asked them about his friends, they didn't know what is he talking about, which made him even more sure, that he was in completely different place. And he knew, that they probably have already left the place – probably around two weeks after he disappeared and was found here, so almost two months ago.

He was sure, they presumed that he's dead. What other could they think, even if they hadn't found his body? Still, he was supposed to die in the explosion, and even if by some miracle he'd be able to survive, the parasite located in his body was supposed to kill him. He completely didn't think that he may appear somewhere else, somebody may find him, take home, take the parasite out (he didn't even ask, how they did it – he'd rather not to know) and give him the opportunity to have a normal life back. But how could he use this chance, if he didn't have any contact with the people he knew?

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><p>For about half a year they lead a calm life in this small house. Connor was very quickly getting back to health, and in the end of August there weren't any sighs of his injuries, beside horrible scars. All of his senses were back, and almost nothing hurt him. He was helping Galina in the house, doing all the men works. Andrei, who lived about one and a half hours away from them, every week brought him the food from the town located not very far and Galina was going to him from time to time, in order to take these things home. During those times Connor was looking after Milena, at the same time using the opportunity to teach her English, and it very pleased her mother. Although she was giving her the education, doing her best to teach her daughter everything, what the girl would learn if she went to school, Galina didn't know English, so she couldn't teach her this language.<p>

This life finished one day, when Connor noticed that Galina doesn't look good. She was very pale, she was alternately sweating and shaking from cold. She remembered perfectly, that there was a time when he felt like that – some time after the parasite eggs have gotten into his body. He thought, that it had to happen to Galina, but at the same time it meant, that as well, he or Milena could also be infected. He didn't know, what they could be in and that's why he threw away all of the new supplies, which Galina brought with herself the last time. He knew, that the only rescue for her would be taking the parasite out of her, however he wasn't a doctor and he knew some first aid, but he wasn't able to make some kind of surgery not only because he couldn't, but even if he could, he didn't have appropriate tools. The woman also knew this, and even Milena, although he didn't tell her anything she felt how serious the situation was and she almost didn't leave the chair standing next to her mother's bed.

"In the kitchen, there is a small box. There are all valuable things Milena has. Promise me, that you'll take her away from here and do everything you can, so she will have a good life" she said to Connor one evening, when he saw that her state is really bad. She was almost white on her face, wet from sweat and she was holding her stomach.

"I promise" he said and he saw, how Galina touches her daughter's face, how very softly caresses her cheek.

"I love you Sweetheart" these few words were the last she said, before she started to moan in pain again, and convulsions started.

He heard silent Milena's crying, nestling next to him and looking carefully at her mother, and although watching the woman who's saved his life in pain was difficult for him, he felt even worse looking at the girl. No child shouldn't watch the parent in a stake like that. And then he suddenly remembered how to make Galina's suffering shorter. He almost ran to the kitchen and he found a bottle of vodka, which Galina brought from Andrei someday, as she said just in case something unexpected happened. He took the bottle and went back to the woman. He leaned to her, helping her to get in a sitting position, when he heard a sob, and turned his head in direction of Milena sitting on the floor and crying.

"Go to your room" he said, and she only looked at him with her huge eyes, which were full of tears "Go" he repeated and she stood and slowly went out of the room. Silent steps made him sure she reached the other room in the house.

He lifted Galina into sitting position and took the bottle to hands again.

"It'll be over soon" he said, when she moaned in pain and opened her eyes. He heard her whisper a silent "Thank you", just a while before he put the bottle at her mouth and tilted her a bit. The woman swallowed the alcohol and for a while it seemed that everything stopped. Then suddenly she started shaking again, much harder than before, and additionally the gagging appeared.

It was already the second time as he looked how this creature is leaving the human's body, and not having a better idea he caught it through the material and threw into the fire which was in the room. He looked at Galina, who was lying limp on the bed and he closed her eyes with a loud sigh. He thought, that if she didn't save his life, he would die in this way a long time ago. He left her there, and went to Milena's room, where she found a girl lying curled on the bed, hugging her bear very tightly, and although he didn't hear it, after her body's shaking he knew she's crying. He went to her, sat next to her and hugged her. He didn't even have to tell her, that it's over now. He noticed that she already knew when she started to cry even harder.

He regarded it as his duty to bury Galina, so he dug a hole, next to the place where as Milena showed him Galina's husband was buried and put the woman's body there, and buried her. In the end he put in the groud a patriarchal cross which was until now hanging over the house's door. Connor took him knowing, that they'll have to burn the house with all of things they will not take with themselves. At the same time he knew that Galina was very religious and she wouldn't be pleased if she knew they burned a religious symbol, so he used it on her primitive grave, giving it a new function. Next, he went to the house and packed everything he thought was necessary into a small rucksack. At the end he went to box in the kitchen, very beautifully decorated family's keepsake, which as Galina told him before her dead, she has gotten from her mother before her death. He opened her and found a photo of Galina with a man, he didn't meet, but who had to be Galina's husband and Milena's father. There was also a golden necklace with a small cross and few other trifles, which had to also be family keepsakes. However he didn't find any Milena's documents, and it seemed that the girl just hadn't any. In some sense it meant that the plan, he made because he knew that they can't stay here, was easier to make. He wanted to say that Milena is his daughter and as a Canadian's daughter he wouldn't have any problems with taking her with him. Although it wasn't physically possible, he knew that he was officially dead now and he couldn't use his real name, so nobody will be able to actually check how he came to Russia. Then, going back to Canada, he will take Milena with himself and make sure that Milena has a good life, just as he promised her mother.

The road to town from Galina's house was about five hours' long for an adult. However they were not only walking much slower because of Mlena, but also went into Andrei's house. Connor wasn't really confused when he saw, that exactly the same happened to Andrei as to Galina. There was a dead parasite lying on the man's blanked, which was soaked in alcohol, and on the floor there was an empty vodka bottle. There weren't any doubts that Andrei decided to make his suffering shorter. Connor buried also him, and took everything what could be useful for them from his house, and burned it, as he didn with the house they lived for the last half a year. Then they went further.

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><p>Eight hours after they started their walk they saw periphery of the town. It wasn't even a bigger town, rather very small one, but even among its small population they found a friendly people, who took them to their house. It was Matvei and his wife Olga, who luckily for Connor knew about the strange epidemic, which was in the village where they came from. Matvei also talked to Olga's brother, who was living in Moscow and who had a lot of connections, and agreed to arrange documents for Connor and Milena. They knew it'll take some time and until Ivan's coming they were going to live at Olga and Matvei's house, and only then go with Ivan to the capital city.<p>

"I miss my mommy…" he heard from Milena, when one afternoon he found her sitting on the stairs in front of the house, sat next to her and asked her what's going on. She was very silent and she looked very sad as she looked at the children, who were playing nearby. "Do you think she's happy now? That she's with daddy?" she asked him in English. She always used this language in their talks when she wanted to talk to him about things that happened before they came here. Connor also told her, that he'll tell she's his daughter and she will not be allowed to tell anything what may gather doubts in their story.

"Yes, I think she's happy, but she's also sad that she can't be here, with you" he said and she nodded her head sadly.

"What do you plan next?"

"I want to take you home with me. There, where I lived even before I met you.."

"Is it far? How much hours will we have to walk?" Connor laughed, when he heard Her last question.

"It's very far. It's a long travel even by plane"

"We'll go by plane?" he nodded his head in answer "I have never flown in plane before…" the girl was silent for a while, and after some time of thinking she asked the next question "Do you have a family?"

"I don't" he said and noticed that Milena looked at him confused.

"You don't have wife and children?"

"No, I don't"

"Why? You never loved anybody?"

„I loved…" he answered after a while. He had to admit that Milena was very inquiring child and she was asking questions until she didn't know everything she wanted to know, or until somebody told her to stop.

"So why didn't you make her your wife?"

"Because I never told her I love her…"

"So you'll have to" Connor nodded, starting to muse.

For his whole living with Galina and Milena, from time to time he thought about those, who he missed. He didn't have any family – he was an only child and both of his parents were dead. Work in the O.S.I.R. made him not have a lot of free time, during which he could develop his social life, and what was connected with it, make friends. People, who he was working with were his only friends, and practically replaced his family. He missed them all – Anton, Ray, Claire, LQ, Curtis, Natasha even Peter, who he was often arguing with, and even if he didn't like it, he'd be very please if he could have an argument with him again now. But he always thought about Peter as about a friend. And most of all, he missed Lindsay.

He never actually admit even to himself, what he feels to her. At the beginning they were really only friends, but as longer he knew her the closer they were getting. However he ignored it – they were working together and any kind of relationship other than friendly were completely forbidden. Every time somebody suggested that something's between them he denied. But every time when he saw her using her beauty to make people tell her what she needs for case, when he saw men flirting with her, he felt a big wave of jealousy expanding over his whole body. He didn't even want to think about the moments when she was in danger and could die – then he felt like he was dying himself. His stubbornness caused that nothing more never happened between them, and now there might never be the opportunity to happen. He remembered very well how he promised himself, when he was lying almost unconscious and before he made any contact with Milena or Galina, that if he'll recover and go back to Canada, he'll find Lindsay and tell her everything, what he feels, but the more time was passing by, the less convinced he was it's a good idea. He knew, that even if there really was something more between them, it may not have any meaning for her now, when she thought him to be dead.

Suddenly he felt a light hit on his arm and noticed Milena, who was looking at him with reproach.

"I'm sorry. I got lost in my thoughts. What did you say?"

"I asked if you think she'll accept me?"

„Accept you?"

A sudden scare appeared on Milena's face and she immediately looked down, flushing.

"We talked about your home, and you tell everybody I'm your daughter… I thought you want to keep me with you…"

"Of course, you're going with me! I'm not leaving you here!" he shouted, when it came to him what the girl had to think "And you know, I don't think she'll accept you. I'm absolutely sure she will! If she will want to be close to me again"

"She will" the girl smiled and hugged him.

More weeks passed before Ivan arrived with their documents. But when he appeared, Connor really felt that his coming home is really close. However he knew, that at least at the beginning he'll have to tell everybody a tale that he doesn't know how and why he was in Russia, where he met a woman he fell in love with and had a child, who was travelling with him. From this moment they were Andrea and Natalya Clark. There were whiles when he was wondering what would Milena's parents say knowing what he's doing. But every time he has to lie about Milena he was reminding himself that he's doing it only to fulfill the promise he made, to not let Milena finish in an orphanage, and they wouldn't be mad at him. After all, he didn't want her to forget them – he didn't take all the things she had after them to make her do it.

Ivan took them to Moscow and gave them the money, and tickets for plane to Toronto, which were the gift from Olga and Matvei. Connor knew, that they weren't reach and it could be their whole savings, and it was very hard for him to stop himself from saying that he can't take it. But he had nothing and he needed money at least to buy Milena something to eat when she'll be hungry.

"Tell Olga and Matvei, that when I'll be able to, I'll give them everything back" he said, and Ivan, ho seemed to completely ignore him, gave him a paper with numbers.

"It's my phone number. Contact us, when you'll be home"

Connor thanked him for everything and they made their goodbyes. Ivan went home, and Connor with Milena to the plane. Connor's heart was beating very fast all the time – earlier he never break any important rule, and now he was travelling to Canada using a fake name, fake documents, telling that the child who is with him is his, even if they completely weren't similar. Only when they went through all checks he sighed with relief, however he had some difficult moments when the man studied them and their documents very carefully.

"I didn't think the plane is so big!" said Milena, when they went to the machine. Connor smiled, also thinking that her English is getting better, and what a wonderful idea he had when he decided to teach her his language, even not knowing that it will be so needed for her so soon.

They went to stairs and after few first steps Milena hold the handrail and she didn't want to release it, repeating that stairs are shaking and she'll fall dawn. In fact they could shake a bit, because of the wind, but it wasn't possible for her to fall down because of all the people who were going after them. He didn't have time to convince her that she's wrong, because the people standing behind them were losing their patience, so he lifted her up and carried to the plane. Then they took their seats and the girl started to ask him questions about everything connected with plane – how it worked, how was it possible it was flying, and even if the plane is alive, because it was flying. The last question made everybody who heard and understood laugh.

"So, it's wings are not moving like bird's wings?" she asked later, and he chuckled. He imagined this huge machine with its wings moving up and down, until they reach their destination. It would definitely look funny, and would be hard to make.

"No, they don't move much. But thanks to them the plane can fly"

"And it can fall down?"

"Yes, it can. But it doesn't happen often" he said and a worried look appeared on the girl's face.

"But we're not going to fall down, right?" she asked and he caressed her hair.

"Of course not".

After a while the flight started, and a wave of excitement came to Connor. For last few weeks he was more and more close to coming home, to his previous, real life, but only now it came to him with a double effect. Soon he was going to be in the air, and when he will be back on the ground he'll be in Canada. Then he already started to think, where to go from the airport. Until now he planned everything to this moment, when they'll reach their destination, which was Toronto. He knew well that he couldn't go to his apartment – he didn't even know what happened to it. Money, which he had, weren't enough for more than one night in a not expensive hotel and food, which they will also have to buy.

When the plane started to get more speed in order to go into the air he noticed, that Milena closed her eyes tightly and her small hands were holding the seat. He had no doubts she was scared, even if she was all the time denying it. For the whole flight she didn't unfasten her seatbelt and he had to convince her almost an hour that when she'll go to the toilet, she's not going to fall outside of the plane.

"But there are doors!"

"They're closed" he said calmly, but it was hard for him to stop laugh.

"But they can open!"

"No, they can't. If they would open, we couldn't sit here because we'll all die"

She was thinking up more and more ideas, for which the trip to the toilet might be dangerous. Falling out through the window, hole in the floor and a lot more made Connor and the man, who was sitting next to them and heard everything, almost laugh.

"Lovely kid. You have really big patience" said the man, when Milena finally decided to stand up and go.

Finally, against Milena's worries, they safely reached Toronto, landed and got off the plane.

"I want to sleep" said the girl when they stood outside of the aiport.

The flight was long and she didn't even sleep for a minute during it. Connor also felt tired, but he knew that Milena felt it much harder, because she needed more sleep than he. He lifted her off the ground and the girl almost immediately fell asleep in his arms. He changed money, and then went to the taxi, which took them to the small hotel, where they were going to spend a night. When they were already there Connor put Milena into one of the beds in a room, and laid the bear, which they took with themselves, next to her. During those weeks when he was taking care of her he noticed, that when she wasn't sleeping with her toy her sleep wasn't calm – she was tossing on a bed and moaning in displeasure.

Connor sat on the other bed and looked at everything they had with themselves. Documents, some clothes which were given to them by Olga and Matvei, a small amount of money, and it was actually everything. He knew that after buying something to eat, the rest of the money he needs to use to get to the person, who he expected to help them. He immediately thought that the best person is Lindsay – he knew that she'll help him, as he could always count on her. Even, if they won't be able to stay at her apartment, she'll find something for them. But this option was working only if she didn't go anywhere with O.S.I.R., and she was home. If they will go to her and she won't be home, they can only go somewhere and start to beg on streets with hope that she'll be back soon.

He decided to risk. Actually, he didn't have a choice, because when he analyzed everything he knew, that he can only go to somebody from the O.S.I.R., and all of them could be on a mission. They left the hotel early in the morning and when they were near Lindsay's apartment Milena started to curiously look around. Beside Moscow, she didn't she any big city, and he remembered her talking to herself that maybe just this one city is big. He also noticed she was a bit scared and she was holding his hand tightly, until she said that she wants to sleep, and he lift her up. He knew she didn't have much sleep at night, because he heard her turning and tossing on a bed. She put her small arms around his neck and in a moment she was asleep.

They reached the building, where Lindsay was living in. He stood in front of her doors and wanted to knock, when he hesitated. Almost a year passed since he last saw her and he didn't have any idea how she was going to react to him. He then reminded himself, that she's his only chance and knocked. For some minutes he didn't hear anything happening inside the apartment. _"Maybe she's really not at home? Or maybe she moved?" _he thought. But then the door opened.

When Connor saw her, he immediately smiled – from the moment he saw her the last time she almost didn't changed, only her hair was longer. In the first moment a shock appeared on her face. Now, in front of her was standing the man, who for almost a year should be dead. And he wasn't only alive, but also looked quite well, although not so neatly as she remembered him. He definitely didn't look like a ghost. Only after a while she noticed a child he was holding in his arms. She started to think that he came with his daughter, but then it came to her that the girl couldn't be younger than six years old. Connor noticed that Lindsay's looking at sleeping Milena and his smile faded a bit.

"It's a long story…" he said, getting Lindsay off her thoughts.

"Come in…" she said, moving slightly. He went inside, and she closed the door, and then walked him to the small room, where he has never been to during his few visits to her. It was a room which was supposed to be something like a guest room with a bookshelf, she was probably often using, as some of the books were lying on the table.

"Lay her here" she said.

He laid Milena on a bed, covered her with a blanket and laid a bear next to her, which she immediately hugged. They went out of the room with Lindsay and when they stood in her living room she came to him, put her hands around his neck and hugged him tightly. He immediately pulled her even closer to him, as he felt her sobbing, and felt her tears on his neck. He didn't released her until he noticed she calmed down. She then looked at him, with her eyes still full of tears, and laid her hand on his face, gently caressing his cheek.

"I-I can't b-believe…" she whispered, and he smiled slightly.

They stood silent for a while, just looking at themselves and then he sighed silently.

"I'm sorry…" she said, noticing it "It's just hard to believe that the person you believed to be dead is standing in front of you…" she literally bit her tongue, when she finished the sentence "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it as…"

"It's okay, Lindsay" he said "Do you think I expected you to think I'm alive?" she just shrugged her arms "Let's sit and talk, okay?" she nodded her head on sat on the couch next to him.

"You know, I didn't cry that much since the moment Peter ran to us after the explosion, and told us you stayed inside…" she sighed, and he noticed she's fighting with more crying "H-How is it possible you survived this explosion?"

"I don't know… Honestly, I don't remember any explosion… I remember only a white light, and then nothing for a very long time. It took really long for me to have a contact with world back… They told me, that I was in Siberia, in a small village… It had to move me there before the building exploded… I was found by Milena, small, blonde haired girl playing near the place I was lying…"

"T-The one…" Lindsay showed door to the room where Milena was lying, and Connor nodded his head.

"Yes, it's her. She took her parents, and they took me to their house… Her mother, Galina, took the parasite out of me… I don't know how it happened, but somehow the people in a village got infected with it, and Milena's father was among those people… When I started to actually remember something, only Milena and Galina were alive, oh, and also one man who brought us food from the town… I was there for half a year… Then Galina got infected to, and she died… Before she died she asked me to take care of her daughter… I would do it even if she didn't ask me, but when she did it, I felt really obliged… I told everyone she's my daughter, they made us documents and yesterday evening we came to Toronto. We stayed in a small hotel during the night, and now we came to you…"

"It's unbelievable but… You, being alive and sitting next to me, and also this girl in the other room… You are the evidence it's a truth…" she looked very confused, when he told her what generally happened to him, and he knew it would be hard to believe.

"But, it's good to know Peter was able to get out of the building before the explosion… I was wondering what happened to him always, when I thought about what happened…"

"Yes, he ran out whiles before the explosion… He ran to us, and I asked him where are you… He didn't say anything, and I knew you stayed… I saw it in his eyes, I knew it when he hugged me when I cried… We had to take Cooper to the hospital, but after we did it we went back and looked for you… We tried to find you for two weeks before we went back… I wanted to stay and still look, but they said that if we didn't find you until then, we'll probably never do it… I made him a really hard time when we were back in Canada… I could be mad at all of the people, but I was mad at him… It was him, who saw you as the last one of us, and he left you there knowing you'll die… I couldn't forgive him… He was your friend, and friends don't leave each other to die..! I felt like he betrayed you as a friend… "

"I asked him to, Lindsay." Connor said calmly, knowing it may look like a betrayal for Lindsay "He was convincing me to go, that you'll take me to the hospital too, and they'll take this thing out. I knew that there was a long road to the hospital… There was no way I will survive it. And he finally understood that I chose to die there and kill this parasite with me… I had a choice between long, painful death because of the infection or a quick death in explosion… I chose the second one… But it doesn't matter now… I'm here and, thanks to Milena and her parents, alive."

He smiled, and after a while she smiled back at him. He knew, that at least now, she wasn't going to quarrel with him that he wasn't right and he should fight with all his strength to survive. He was a bit confused when she leaned to him and carefully touched his lips with hers, kissing him very softly. He kissed her back, and when they moved away from each other he looked at her.

"I missed you…" she said silently and he smiled.

"I missed you, too" she smiled back at him.

"What are you planning now?" she asked, when she sat closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder.

His arms immediately came around her. He couldn't understand the feeling, but everything what was happening seemed like a dream to him, and having her in his arms made him feel better. This way he felt she was really here, that he wasn't dreaming at all.

"I'm not sure yet… To be honest, I only planned everything to the moment of coming to Toronto… I will probably try to get my life back…"

"Probably?" she was a bit confused, hearing this.

"I don't know what will happen to Milena if I become Connor Doyle again…" he sighed "I can't let them take her back to Russia… She has nothing there… And you know that they may want to do it, because I took her here against law…"

Lindsay nodded her head, understanding what he meant. They were silent for a while, and she felt his breathe become regular, and when she looked up at him she saw his eyes were closed. She smiled again going out of his arms very carefully not to wake him, and also carefully made him lie on the couch. I covered him with a blanket, gently caressing his hair. She knew well that after such a long journey it was hard to fall asleep, and changing a time zone for so many hours didn't make it any easier. She left him to sleep, and went to the kitchen.

She made herself a coffee and sat at the chair standing next to the window. She took a sip of the coffee and laughed, thinking what happened during last few whiles. It seemed so ridiculous for her, that Connor actually appeared in her apartment, that he was now sleeping in her living room. She touched her lips, remembering the kiss, and smiled. If even yesterday anybody told her that all of this will actually happen, she'd think this person is actually crazy. But all of this was real, and it made her smile even wider.

Suddenly, she heard a cry. It wasn't loud, but as silent as her apartment was at the moment, it was very easy to hear. When she heard the second one, she noticed it comes from the room where Milena is sleeping. She went there quickly, wondering what's going on. When she was closer she noticed, that the cries are actually words, which she didn't understand.

"Mama, mama! Nie uhodi! Mama!" Milena cried when she was standing next to her bed.

She sat on the bed and touched the girl, who immediately jumped on the bed. She looked at her with her huge eyes and she noticed a frighten appear in the girl's eyes. Milena moved away from her scared, hugging her toy very tightly.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you…" she said, and started to wonder if the girl knows English. She knew Connor spoke Russian, so he didn't have any problems with communicating with the girl and she felt a big relief when she noticed that Milena understood her.

"You're Connor's friend?" she asked, and Lindsay smiled, nodding her head.

"Yes, I'm Lindsay. I didn't want to wake you, I just thought you had a bad dream…"

* * *

><p>Connor and Milena stayed at Lindsay's apartment for a longer while, and as more time was passing by, the closer Milena and Lindsay were getting. At the beginning Milena was very often crying in her sleep, and as Connor later told Lindsay, the words she was saying meant "Mom, don't go". He also told her that she almost witnessed her mother's death, which had to be a very difficult experience for him and it could cause nightmares for a girl. But she also could miss her mother, as she was the closest person to her during her whole, short life. As actually foreign people for her, Connor and Lindsay thought that she's coping with everything really well, or at least she shows that she is.<p>

Some time after coming to Lindsay Connor decided that even with the risk of losing Milena, he wants to have his life back. He went to Frank Elsinger first, in order to talk to him. He knew that he has to start from Frank, as it was O.S.I.R. making his environment know that he's dead. It could also take this words back. When he went out of its building he laughed, as he remembered all of the people working there face expressions. All of them immediately were pale, they were looking at him like they saw a ghost, and lost their words for at least a while.

His talk to Frank went better than he expected, however his former boss face expression when he went into his office was just indescribable. As Lindsay later explained to him, he was so sure that he died in Russia, that it was hard for the team to convince Elsinger to let them stay for a while in Russia and look for him. Lindsay also admitted that sometimes she was wondering, if Elsinger wasn't just playing worried and sad Connor's friend, but she never had any proof he did play. And Frank Elsinger was really ready to give Connor his life back, until he heard about the girl Connor brought with himself. He then yelled at him that he's crazy, and that he can't promise him anything.

After this visit he saw, that his worries about Milena were right. It didn't took long to make him alive everywhere again, even if it meant a lot of explanation why. But when the offices heard about little Russian girl who was with him, they weren't so willing to help. There were even whiles that he heard that there was nothing to do about Milena's going back to Russia. But after a very long fight, a lot of breakdowns and losses of hope, he was able to convince everyone that Milena had to stay with him.

* * *

><p><em>Few years later<em>

He was sitting on the couch, looking carefully at all the photos which were placed in the photo album lying on his legs. He looked at the first one, where was the photo of him and Milena, taken not so long after he got to know that she's staying with him, that she will be his adopted daughter. He had her in his arms and they both were smiling widely. On the next page was a photo of him, Milena and Lindsay, after she agreed to marry him. He smiled widely remembering Milena's reaction, how happy the girl was, because she became really close to Lindsay.

He turned the page again, and noticed their wedding photo. They wanted a very modest wedding and that's why they invited only the most important people. For a long time he thought it was the best day in his life, but this special day was immortalized on the next photo. It was taken in the hospital. There was Lindsay sitting on the bed, holding their baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket in her arms, with him sitting on a bed next to her, with his arm around his shoulder, and Milena, who was sitting on the other side of Lindsay grinning to the camera.

Then, almost all of the photos were showing Madison or Milena. They had a photo of all of Madison's firsts: first smile, first tooth, first step and others. There was a lot of photos with both of the girls together, but his favorite was the one taken when Madison was two years old, and was sitting on Milena's knees, cuddled to her big sister, in role of who Milena found herself perfectly.

"Happy Birthday Daddy!" he heard a shout and closed the album, laid it on the table before he saw his daughter running to him. He hugged her and sat her on her knees. She smiled to him and he thought that her smile is very similar to her mother's – the one that always got them everything they wanted. He was happy his daughter was more similar to his wife than to him – she had her eyes, nose, smile, the habit of biting her lip in moments of big concentration. Her hair was light bronze, sometimes in light it looked like a bit red or blonde.

"Happy Birthday!" he heard Milena's voice, who went into the room after Madison and who was holding his gift in her hands. She sat next to him and also cuddled to him, giving him the box.

"Open it!" he heard Madison, and slowly opened the box.

Inside a dark box there was a gold watch, and he noticed a dedication on it. _For the best husband and dad in a world. L.M.M._ He smiled widely and kissed both of his daughters.

"Happy Birthday" said Lindsay, coming into the room. There was a cake in her hands, with one candle on top of it. "I hope you like your gift" she sat next to him and kissed him.

"I love it" he said and hugged the three of them tightly.

And as much as he loved the gift they gave him, he knew that the best gift which was given to him was the opportunity to survive his stay in Russia, to go back to Canada, to make all of his girls really his, and to be with them now and forever.


End file.
